Chapter 32
Chapter 32
“You! You know of Lady Maura?” Baron Kildary demanded.
Alastair Baird had let slip that he was Maura Duncanson’s escort. And that she’d run away from him.
“You incompetent idiot!”
The day was cool but Baird began to sweat. Why had he spoken of her? Jesus God. ’Twas because he had not slept well with so many strangers about—even though they were soldiers just like he. He’d been so unnerved by them ... and his father had not left him alone. At least the old hag had not spoken even once all night long.
He should be grateful for that.
“M-my lord, I—”
“You lost my bride to that bastard MacMillan,” Kildary sneered, and Baird’s eyes locked on to the old man’s pointed white beard. “You are the one who’s costing me another three thousand pounds to wed the wench!”
“Lady Maura is not a usual sort of p-person, my lord,” Alastair said. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “She has ... powers ...” Try not to be any more of a fool, Alastair.
“What do you say, man?” Kildary demanded. “The woman is a witch?”
Alastair swallowed and somehow managed not to scream at his father ... er, Lord Kildary. He rubbed his eyes and focused on the man before him. “She is a wily—”
“Ach, enough blather,” Kildary said. “ ’Tis your fault that I’ve been dragged out here to this raw country to ransom my own bride!”
The soldiers all stood by, watching—some laughing behind their hands—at Alastair’s humiliation. He remembered now ... ’twas exactly like the harsh chastisements his father gave when he was a lad. And later, after his scolding, the servants would jeer and repeat the general’s words.
His father’s pointed white beard bobbed as the man spewed his disdain, and Alastair wished for his pistol. He wished ’twas loaded and primed, and in his hand. He could shoot the old bastard dead right now and show the others he was not so incompetent. He was a man of some significant ability, not to mention good sense.
He was well past due for a promotion, by God!
The old man did not wait for any response from Alastair, but whirled away and mounted his horse. “Let’s move, Captain. I have no time for fools.”
Aye, you are a fool, Alastair. Not even your mother could abide you.
“Shut up,” he muttered to the baron’s back. His eyes blinked furiously, a habit he’d never been able to control. “What do you know of my mother?”
Dugan had been right. It had only taken a few hours to reach Loch Aveboyne. When he and Maura arrived at the western shore, the men had already taken the shovels and ax out of the wagon and were rolling the largest rocks off the ground where they’d stood for years.
Maura hoped they would soon find the one that had been in place a mere two years.
’Twas a nebulous task. How deep should they dig before giving up on any one site? Which of the rocks was large enough to hide a treasure underneath? Which one would yield the prize Dugan needed so desperately?
They dismounted, and Dugan took out the maps once again. “Maura, will you study this again, and try to make sense of the word that’s missing?”
“Dugan—”
“I know. You want to go to Loch Camerochlan right away. But a few hours’ delay won’t make any difference.”
Maura’s stomach was tied in knots with worry. She desperately hoped Dugan was right, and someone had taken her sister in, but she knew ’twould be a hardship. Rosie could not work...
She forced her thoughts toward the clues on the pieces of map, carrying them away from the water’s edge. She unrolled them and studied the words etched in wax, but could not put an end to her anxiety. She was afraid to let herself feel as confident as Dugan did about the treasure.
What if he did not find it? Would he go to war with Argyll?
The thought of it made her feel ill.
The men removed their shirts and began to dig, but Maura had eyes only for Dugan, the man who would lead his clan into battle against Argyll’s army if he did not find the treasure. His decision not to give her to Kildary left him no choice.
Maura tried rubbing dust on the clues again, but the word starting with ro did not become any clearer. She eventually gave up trying to see it, or guessing what it might be, and joined the men in their search.
It was a rocky terrain at the water’s edge, and some of the rocks resembled small boulders. By dusk, the men had overturned a dozen of them, but had found no sign of any treasure.
“We’ll continue by firelight,” Dugan said.
“Christ, Dugan,” Lachann said, leaning on his shovel, “when will you accept that—”
“Just keep digging, Lachann,” Dugan said. “ ’Tis here. I know it.”
’Twas the strangest sensation—the surety Dugan felt about the treasure and this location. As soon as he’d realized Maura was the ally he needed, he was certain he’d find the gold under one of these bloody rocks.
And he’d decided that though she might carry the Duncanson name, she was hardly a representative of that contemptible clan.
Her heart was loyal, and her soul pure. Dugan wanted her in his house, in his bed—
“Riders coming!” Conall called.
Dugan immediately looked for Maura. “Maura!” he shouted. “Take Glencoe and hide in the trees away from the loch.”
Maura took Glencoe’s reins and hurried away from the loch and into a stand of trees some distance from the shoreline.
“Toss your shovels into the wagon,” Dugan said in a deadly quiet tone, “and shove these rocks back into place before they get here.” They’d already covered most of their tracks from their digging for they didn’t want anyone to come along and take note of what had taken place there.
They pulled on their shirts and brought their horses to the water, making it appear as though they’d just stopped to drink.
But shite. ’Twas just what he did not need—highlanders ... or worse, Sassenach treasure seekers.
A company of red-coated soldiers approached at a steady pace, coming closer with every second that passed. There were at least a dozen of them, and likely more at the rear.
“Swords ready,” he said, although he was nowhere near certain the four of them could handle twelve trained soldiers.
At least Maura was safely away.
“Dugan ...” His brother spoke without moving.
“Aye?”
“Beside the officer at the head of the phalanx.”
“Aye. I see him,” Dugan responded. “An old man in a dark cloak. White beard.”
“Could it be Kildary?” Conall asked.
“Aye,” Dugan replied. “I think that’s exactly who it is.” What other wealthy Sassenach lord would be riding on a direct route from Cromarty to Braemore?
“Dugan, he’s come to pay the ransom!” Conall whispered.
“Do ye think we can take his gold from him?” Archie asked with the rashness of youth.
Dugan shrugged. “I doubt it, Arch. We are outnumbered.”
“We’ve been outnumbered before,” Archie said with bravado.
The riders came closer and Dugan recognized Lieutenant Baird among them. The man looked ill at ease, as well he should. He was the one who’d lost Maura. Dugan shuddered to think what could have happened to her had Dugan not pursued her from the inn at Fort William and found her.
He wanted to give her his protection—always.
“ ’Tis the lieutenant from Fort William, is it not, Dugan?” Conall asked. “The bald one.”
“Aye,” Dugan replied. “But he comes from the east, so he did not follow us here.”
“Do you think he found us by chance?”
“His direction is not from that of Caillich Castle ... Somehow, he crossed paths with Kildary.”
“Dugan,” Lachann said. “We can put an end to this idiocy now. The woman has entertained you long enough. Give her to Kildary and we can be done with it.”
Dugan’s temper flared and he fisted his hands at his sides. “No. And there will be hell to pay if you say one word of her to Kildary, Lachann.”
Dugan stalked away from his brother. Whatever happened, he knew now that he might well make an arse of himself over this woman, worse than Angus MacDonnall would ever do. But Maura was his woman. And no man—not even his brother—was going to interfere with the bond between them.
As the soldiers picked up their pace, Dugan knew he had to think quickly. ’Twould not be easy to untangle the situation he’d brought upon himself. He needed time to search for the gold, and by God, he was going to figure a way to get it.
“Archie, get into the wagon and stay low,” Dugan said. “And load your pistol. You’ll know when ’tis time to fire.”
When the riders arrived, he was ready for them.
“There’s a good twenty men, Dugan,” Conall said under his breath. “We’ll never be able to take the three thousand pounds off Kildary with those odds.”
The soldiers came to a stop.
Baird dismounted all in a rush and approached Dugan, turning to address Kildary as he stumbled through the rocky sand. His voice sounded more than a little wild, and the Sassenach captain appeared discomfited by the lieutenant’s breach of protocol.
“That’s him! MacMillan!” Baird called to Kildary. He pulled off his hat and wiped his brow, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Where is she?” he shouted at Dugan.
“Return to your mount, Lieutenant!” the captain ordered.
“I’ll handle this,” the white-bearded old man said as he dropped to the ground and came to stand in front of Dugan. “What have you done with my bride?”
“You are Kildary?”
“Of course I am Kildary! Where is the woman?”
Maura heard Dugan say, “She is at Braemore. We sent her ahead with some of my men to wait for your arrival.”
“He lies!” Baird shouted.
“Search the woods!” ordered the officer who’d ridden beside Kildary.
Maura left Glencoe where he was and took off running. It was not yet dark, but she could see nowhere to hide. She kept going as fast as she could, but when she tripped and fell, she quickly found herself surrounded by men on horseback.
“That’s far enough, Lady Maura.” An officer jumped down from his horse and confronted her. “I will take you to Baron Kildary.”
“No! Please!”
He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up to her feet, then held on to her, pushing her roughly back to the loch where Dugan waited with Conall and Lachann. The soldiers who remained at the water’s side stood with their pistols trained on the highlanders.
She desperately hoped Dugan would not do anything rash. She could not bear it if he was killed.
“Put her on one of the horses,” Kildary said.
“No!” Maura cried.
Dugan stood perfectly still, her fierce highland warrior with his jaw clenched tightly, powerless against the men who had their firearms aimed at him. His own sword remained in its belt, his bow and arrows in the back of the wagon. But where was Archie? Maura could not see him anywhere.
She screamed when one of the soldiers lifted her up, and tried kicking and pummeling to get him to drop her. But her efforts against him were for naught. He tossed her facedown across one of their horses, and the impact knocked the wind out of her so she could no longer scream. One of the soldiers mounted behind her and tied her hands together.
Maura could barely breathe, and tears of pain and frustration filled her eyes. A deep, dark despair filled her heart. She did not know what they would do to Dugan.
“Kill them,” Kildary said, his voice cold as ice.
“Dear God. Just like Glencoe,” Maura groaned. ’Twas an inhumane order, given by a callous excuse for a man.
They rode off, and a few moments later the sound of gunshots rang out.